Forget Australia’s Gun Laws. American Reform Advocates Have Their Own Island to Study.

"How does Hawaii manage to be home to both a rising number of firearms and rock-bottom rates of gun violence? For starters, as gun ownership has dramatically increased, Hawaii’s legislators have enacted some of the strictest gun safety measures in the country."

Are Doctors the Key to Ending Philly Gun Violence?

"Everyone is sick of the senseless bloodshed, including doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. And now they’re wading waist-deep into our inner city war zones, trying to disrupt the seemingly endless cycle of youth violence. Here’s how VIP works: CHOP social workers screen all juveniles who come into the emergency room to be treated for violent injuries, and refer ones who are clearly grappling with deep-rooted problems to members of the VIP team..."

"Local kids who were clearly teetering on an edge have gone on to attend college and find their first jobs, simple things that all parents want their kids to experience. There have been few instances of the program’s participants getting re-injured."

The Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia - Violence Intervention Program

"The Violence Intervention Program (VIP) provides direct services to CHOP patients who have already been injured by assault. It is a community-focused, trauma-informed program designed to reduce re-injury and retaliation among youth ages 8 to 19 years by working with them in the hospital and after discharge."

Healing Hurt People

"Healing Hurt People (HHP) is the cornerstone program of the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice. HHP is a community-focused, hospital-based program designed to reduce reinjury and retaliation among youth ages 8-30. The program is affiliated with the Emergency Department (ED) at Hahnemann University Hospital and the Drexel University College of Medicine."

Unfortunately there is but one way to slow gun violence and that is to make the penalty so harsh people will think twice about picking up a gun or any weapon and committing a crime. Our laws have become so "pacified" that our justice system is a joke. People don't fear prison or our justice system anymore. I say we bring back the chain gangs and work farms. Instead of a vacation turn it back to hard time. Those that kill make those cases hi priority and see them through and make their only be one mandatory sentence of death with no available plea agreements or any way out not even if they give information to catch other crooks. Now will this stop the insane? NO! However with the money we will save on housing death-row inmates for days/weeks instead of years we could put that money toward research for mental illness something horribly overlooked and one of societies biggest threats.

"I am probably over simplifying a complex issue, but the way I see the solution to the gun violence problem is to make the consequences of poor judgment so horrific that persons will, as a matter of self preservation, shy away from actions that are not in their interest. For example, Open Carry for all should be allowed; however, the penalty for improper use should be so severe that it, effectively, becomes "self-policing." As an example, carrying the gun is legal, but having the gun in your possession while involved in criminal activity carries and automatic additional penalty, if convicted.

1) Gun in possession during the commission of any felony results in an additional 10 years of jail time (no parole);

2) If the gun is brandished during the commission of the felony, the add-on time is 20 years;

3) if the gun is fired, the add-on time is 30 years;

4) if someone is injured by the gun, the add-on time is 40 years; and if anyone is killed, the add-on time is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This probably needs to be thought out and refined, and caveats need to be added for self defense or the defense of others, etc, but it gives an idea of the concept.

The same concept could be applied to illegal immigration making it so onerous to be convicted (for both the illegal and any that aid or hire them) that it does not make it worthwhile to be in this country illegally or to support persons here illegally."

This Man's Bold Idea: Pay Criminals to Stay Out of Trouble

In Richmond (California), the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) is addressing the serious problem of gun violence in a bold, new way.

In 2007, Richmond’s murder rate was 9x the national average. Since then, ONS has since helped the rate plummet to its lowest levels in 4 decades: 11 deaths per 100,000. This reduction in violence is happening quicker in Richmond than anywhere else in the country.

How did they do it?

"[The] agency contacts a select group of young men that are most likely to be involved in shootings — the ones who’ve brushed off help and stubbornly refused to change. With directed help, ONS gives the boys a profitable alternative to crime, starting with a monthly paycheck up to $1,000 for staying out of trouble."

This Man's Bold Idea: Pay Criminals to Stay Out of Trouble

In Richmond (California), the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) is addressing the serious problem of gun violence in a bold, new way.

In 2007, Richmond’s murder damesfietsen rate was 9x the national average. Since then, ONS has since helped the rate plummet to its lowest levels in 4 decades: 11 deaths per 100,000. This reduction in violence is happening quicker in Richmond than anywhere else in the country.

How did they do it?

"[The] agency contacts a select group of young men that are most likely to be involved in shootings — the ones who’ve brushed off help and stubbornly refused to change. With directed help, ONS gives the boys a profitable alternative to crime, starting with a monthly paycheck up to